Preface -- List of abbreviations -- Brands and the growth of multinationals -- Leading firms -- the historical legacy -- Growth and survival -- Family ownership and managerial control -- Channel management -- Diversification strategies -- Acquiring brands -- The life of brands -- Conclusion --...

Over the course of the twentieth century, entrepreneurs developed a number of successful global brands in consumer-goods industries. However, few independent brands survived the merger waves of the 1980s. To address the question of why so few independent brands survived, this paper examines...